Matters Of Circumstance
by SoUsay234
Summary: Romantic one-shot collection. Written for the Forum Wide Competition Summer 2010. Various pairings, various stories.
1. Stealing Heaven

**Matters Of Circumstance**

Disclaimer: (Insert standard Harry Potter disclaimer here)

(A/N: Many, many thanks to my wonderful beta: TheBooyahEffect )

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**Story Info:**

**House:** Slytherin  
**Prompt:** View  
**Challenge:** One (June 1st to June 7th)

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**STEALING HEAVEN**

Teddy takes her hand and pulls her into the small apartment in London that he's apparently in love with. He's been describing the place the whole day - how it's great for them because it's small and just a few blocks away from their work…

The first thing she notices, when she enters, is the color of the walls - a warm yellow color she instantly falls in love with. Teddy is nervous. This she knows because he turns to look back at her every time he leads her into a new room, his half-smile almost making _her _giddy.

Finally, as he leads her into the last room, he spins her around and gives her a smile – a mischievous one – that makes her knees weak and her stomach jump.

"This is the best part," he whispers.

"_The _view." It's not really a question; it's all he seemed to be able to talk about for hours. But he nods anyway and turns her around - after making her promise she'll close her eyes.

Victoire hears him open the door, a bit of mild cursing follows as he apparently trips over something. And then, he takes her hand again and pulls her towards him, warning her to be careful as she steps outside.

"Now," he says. And the anticipation in his voice reminds her of a little kid who's viewing a circus performance for the first time in his life. She opens her eyes and is immediately stunned by the view. It's not that she wasn't expecting a nice view, but she was pretty sure he'd been exaggerating. Teddy tends to do that.

_But not this time_, she thinks. No, this time he barely even began to give it justice - because the sight in front of her is more than can be described in words. The water – a soft pink color - when intertwined with twilight's purple, mirrors the sky perfectly. It has to be the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.

"It's like a little piece of heaven," Victoire whispers finally. She looks up at him and smiles when she notices his hair is darkening along with the sky. And suddenly, she realizes that not even the most beautiful sunset could ever compare to this. To him

Teddy chuckles lightly. "Are we stealing it?" he asks, just as his eyes change from a soft golden to a deep blue, and all she can do is stare.

"What?" _Ah, the intelligence of the sentence. No one would ever guess it's me who has veela blood, _she thinks, rolling her eyes to herself. She can't help but blush as he gives her a smile again, his eyes twinkling in a way that reminds her so much of him she is tempted to shout his name every time someone repeats the gesture.

"Are you, Victoire Weasley, willing to steal heaven with me?" he asks softly before leaning down to kiss her cheek, but she turns and his lips find hers instead. For a second neither moves, and when he finally does it's only to deepen the kiss. There are butterflies in her stomach, and a part of her mind is telling her she shouldn't be kissing him – not now, not when they're both in full view. But the feel of his lips on hers is enough to erase any coherent thought she may have had. After a moment he pulls away and smiles at her expression.

"It's a beautiful apartment," she says - after they've both been staring at the river for a while. He chuckles.

"It's all in the view, you see," he states, repeating one of his favorite lines; but when she turns to look at him, he's not looking at the Thames anymore. She smiles, running a hand through his hair, which is now a beautiful midnight blue – her favorite color.

"You keep saying that like it's supposed to make sense," she says, sticking her tongue out at him. Teddy gives a half smile, tapping her nose lightly and reaching out to tuck a stray strand of golden hair behind her ear.

"Well, to me, it does," he answers winking. Then he kisses her, and this time she's too stunned to remember they're in the middle of the balcony in full view. By the time she does, she has no desire to stop him anyway.


	2. Believe In Red Roses

**Matters of Circumstance**

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Disclaimer: Harry Potter? Let me check…. Nope, still not mine.

(A/N: Dedicated to XxrandomxX, she'll know why, and to TheBooyahEffect for being such a fantabulous beta and to Andrea for reminding me readers don't know everything I know about the story =0)

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** If anyone is/was wondering 'WWW' stands for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

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**Story Info:**

**House:** Slytherin  
**Characters: **Lily Potter (Gryffindor), Baron Von Crazy (Slytherin)  
**Challenge:** Two (June 8th to June 15th)

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**BELIEVE IN RED ROSES**

It all started the day she'd received the first rose. There hadn't been anything particularly striking about the delivery except that it had been in the middle of Slughorn's class.

It really wasn't an interesting class to begin with**. **Slughorn was currently explaining how 'Amortentia' worked, which Lily was finding _extremely _boring since, after years of watching her uncle brew it in industrial quantities for the WWW, she was quite sure she'd be able to recognize it with her eyes closed. But potions had never been her favorite class anyway, and it didn't help that – being her last class of the day – she was constantly on the verge of falling asleep during class; something Slughorn conveniently overlooked because she was a Potter.

"Amortentia's steam always rises in the most characteristic spirals, and it smells…" _Blah, blah, blah,_ she thought dryly. Groaning, she lay her head down on her desk only to sit back up, letting out a soft, surprised scream, when a small owl landed in front of her. It was carrying a red rose, almost twice its size, with a piece of parchment attached to it.

Slughorn raised his voice with a small chuckle. "Well, talking about love, it seems Miss. Potter has found herself a secret admirer!" he said, giving her an all-knowing smile when she blushed.

A snicker or two sounded from the back of the class before Slughorn continued explaining the effects of the potion. Lily made a face, looking down at the flower in her hands, squinting as she noticed the chicken-scratch writing scrawled into the parchment.

_Hey, Lils. Made me think of you._

She put it away just as Slughorn came towards her - to give her the materials for the potion they'd be working on that day. She didn't give it another thought until, at dinner, the same owl arrived. This time it was carrying two roses, and a note:

_Because they say three is a lucky number._

Without really thinking about it**,** she picked a pencil from her school bag and wrote a quick _Thank you_ - on the back of the card - in her own messy handwriting before letting the owl fly off. She spent the rest of the meal scanning the air - hoping the owner of the loopy handwriting would write back. It was only after she'd arranged the roses in a vase next to her bed that she wondered if she should be concerned. She probably should, she decided, but she couldn't bring herself to be.

**..ooO0Ooo..**

The next day she found herself actually looking forward to Potions class. But only, she reminded herself, because curiosity was killing her. She walked through the halls in a daze, almost crashed into a first year**,** and practically ignored her best friend who was babbling about the Winter Ball and how they still hadn't bought their dresses.

Come Potions class, she slipped into her seat and her eyes immediately focused on the window. She frowned - when she realized it was empty - and resigned herself to paying attention.

By the time she was picking her things up, Lily found herself highly annoyed by the fact that he– she was sure it was a male – hadn't sent anything. Briefly, she considered taking the incentive, but upon remembering she didn't even know who he was, she quickly banished the thought. Sending a letter to an unidentified sender would be a bit difficult. She was already following her best friend out of the classroom when the small owl landed in front of her with a rose and another note.

_Admit it: You had been thinking about me ;)_

_Of course. You are just that annoying._

This time she wrote back slightly faster than before, and couldn't hide her excitement when the owl came back with another note.

_But you love my 'annoying-ness'_

Lily laughed_;_ shaking her head to herself, and earned a distrustful glance from her best friend.

_You keep lying to yourself there, buddy._

_I will, _he'd written, followed by something he'd crossed out and then: _I'll make a sign for everyone to see that says: LILY POTTER LOVES ME._

_Who am I in love with, exactly?_

The answer wasn't as fast that time, and when it finally arrived - carrying another rose - Lily was already curled up in her bed trying to do the Potions essay she had been putting off.

_My name is Baron Von Crazy of Loonland, at your service, ma'am.  
__Heads up, Jason __"__Asshole__"__ Peters is going to ask you to the Winter Ball tomorrow – plan you excuse carefully._

_Are you going to the Winter Ball? _She wrote, stared at her message for a while and then added an: _I'm serious_ below.

The only answer she got was a red rose.

**..ooO0Ooo..**

For two weeks this continued, and Lily found herself more and more excited with each letter. The Winter Ball was drawing closer and her best friend began to pester her about a date. She'd been asked already, by Jason Peters, but she'd turned him down. "He wasn't really that good looking, and I could do better," was how she'd explained it to her friends.

But her notes with the mysterious boy – with his bad jokes and easy-going personality - always seemed to be on her mind. With him she was never bored.

One day, after an especially bad joke on the vampire's favorite type of dance, she decided to write back:

_So, are you going to the Winter Ball?_

He didn't reply the next day, or the one after that, and Lily found herself growing nervous. She re-read the pieces of parchment they had sent back and forth almost every day, a smile tugging at her lips every now and then as she stumbled across a joke he'd made. But still, there was no reply. She knew she was probably obsessing, but she couldn't stop.

Finally, during the Potions class on the third day after she'd sent him the question his small owl came stumbling through the window carrying the distinctive red rose and a note:

_Only if you go with me. Meet me by the Black Lake after dinner today. You'll know who I am. :)_

And that was it, no name, no: _sorry that I took so long_, nothing revealing about himself except that he'd be by the Black Lake tonight. It didn't matter though. It was all she really needed.

**..ooO0Ooo..**

He was there.

_He was there! _She felt oddly relieved as she took in small breaths and walked toward him. He was really there and – Oh, Merlin –he was Scorpius Malfoy, her brother's best friend. Surely, there had to be a law against committing such a cliché, even the scenery around them looked like a movie: the trees covered with snow, the grass looking exceptionally green under the moonlight, and him – his back to her and his hair tousled in a careless, almost boyish, manner.

He turned to look at her, breaking into an infectious grin as she reached him, and handed her a bouquet of red roses. She blushed slightly as she took them, smiling back.

"Hi," he said as his warm gray eyes scanned her face.

"Hi back," she breathed, biting her lower lip. "Thanks," she added, looking down at the roses she was holding.

Scorpius shrugged. "My grandfather says if you're going to ask a girl out, you should give her at least twelve roses." He grinned, scratching the back of his neck as he caught a glimpse of Albus Potter through one of the windows of the castle. "And your brother gaveme a death sentence should I hurt you," he whispered conspiratorially, grin growing. Together, they glanced over at Lily's brother, still glaring through the window, and broke into laughter.

"It's a good thing you don't have any siblings then," Lily muttered. Scorpius chuckled, looking down as if to organize his thoughts.

"Ah," he said after a while, breaking the silence. "So, I guess this is a 'yes' to my question?"

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at him, she hid a grin instead and pretended to think about it as she sat down. "I don't know. Maybe."

He shook his hair out of his eyes so she could see his raised eyebrow. "Oh?" he half-asked as he sat down next to her, smiling.

"I'll go with you on one condition," she said, mischievousness lacing her voice.

He smiled, seemingly amused. "Name it."

"I'm still allowed to call you Baron Von Crazy."


	3. Like Angels

**Matters of Circumstance**

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Disclaimer: Do you seriously think JK would sue me if I forgot to write a disclaimer?

(A/N: Many thanks to my wonderful beta: Smile Life Away for being such a fantabulous beta and to my friend Naka for helping me decide on that one sentence. And, mom; Lucy (daughter of Audrey and Percy Weasley) and Lorcan (son of Luna Lovegood and Rolf Scamander) =0)

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**Story Info:  
****House:** Slytherin**  
****Challenge:** Three (June 16th to June 23th)**  
****Set:** Set 6 (Romance): tingling, rain, dancing, fireworks, breathless, starlight.

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**LIKE ANGELS**

"Want to know why I love the rain?" Lucy asks softly when she hears him sitting on the swing next to hers. There's a minute of silence and then she starts to swing, back and forth, and he can't help but smile at the sight of her. The material of her dress shimmers as she moves. Her hair, cascading down around her face in elegant waves, hides her eyes from view. And her laugh is almost enough to drown out the sound the rain makes as it dances around them. Finally, she looks up, her eyes twinkling with the soft starlight - as she meets them with his. "It's like fireworks," she says finally and closes her eyes, tilting her head up.

A breathless "_Fireworks?"_comes out of his lips and she gives him a smile, her lips curving slightly, gracefully. Those lips, he'd give anything to kiss them. To run his hands though her hair, caress her skin with his fingers. But he stays where he is, one hand clenched tightly around the swing's chain.

"Like angels falling from the sky," Lucy pauses, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looking up at him again, almost bashfully. Then she chuckles, looking down at her feet. "That's what my mom used to say, anyway." And at that last sentence Lorcan feels a pang, because her mother is the last thing she should be thinking about right now

There's silence again and words tingle on the tip of his tongue, urging to be uttered. Words like: _You have an amazing smile _or _I never thought I'd end up falling for you. _But the moment is too delicate, and he's afraid it might break if he dares speak.

"Actually," she says after a minute, coming to a stop by sinking her feet into the mud below her. "I like the rain, because it reminds me of her."

Lorcan winces, unsure of what to say. "I'm sorry," he whispers finally. She laughs, looking up at the sky and closing her eyes.

"She used to say that too: people always apologize for things they didn't do." There is a pause again, and this time, when she looks at him there are tears running down her face. "Merlin, Lorcan, I miss her," she mutters before crumpling into his arms.

And in the silence, Lorcan can't help but wonder at how striking she is. Even when she has been crying the whole day because of her mother's death, even when she is wearing a plain, black dress and no make-up, even when she is so obviously broken, the only word he can think of to describe her is: beautiful.


	4. Unrequited

**Matters of Circumstance**

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Disclaimer: Not mine.  
(A/N: Many, many thanks to my wonderful beta Smile Life Away for being super fast and awesome =0)

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**Story Info:**

**House:** Slytherin  
**Challenge:** Four (June 24th to June 31st)  
**Character:** Daphne Greengrass

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**UNREQUITED**

_She'd__ never been denied anything in her life. The only thing she had to do was ask for it, and it was there. She had never been denied anything – and then, she met him._

She admires him.  
She idolizes him.  
She _loves _him.

But he will never know. He will never know he's the first thing she thinks about in the morning. How she takes special care to look beautiful in case they meet. How her heart flutters every time he sends a smile in her direction during class.

She watches him as he walks into the Great Hall, holding hands with the Weasley girl, his eyes shining as she whispers something. Daphne could drown in his eyes - such a perfectly green color. She would do anything for him to laugh with her the way he does with Weasley.

_Nobody is perfect. _She can't remember how many times she's repeated that line to her friends as they fawn over Draco. _Nobody is perfect. _But he is, in every way he's the one exception to the rule. He is kind, and smart and funny…

Watching him like that, from a distance, she can almost pretend he likes her too. That she's someone he holds dear. But then he leans over and places a soft kiss on Weasley's lips and she can feel her heart shattering.

She's not special.  
She's not dear.  
She's just a simple girl who is plain and boring. Another one of the many admirers he has. She will never match Weasley, who is funny and outgoing and interesting. She could never compete with her.

She blinks back tears and turns away. He will never know.


	5. Shooting Stars

**Matters of Circumstance**

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Disclaimer: Still not mine. And I highly doubt it'll ever be.

(A/N: Many thanks to my super-cali-fragilistic-expialidocious beta, Smile Life Away. =0)

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**Story Info:**  
**House:** Slytherin  
**Challenge:** Five (August 8th to August 15th)  
**Character:** Ted Tonks (Hufflepuff), Andromeda Black (Slytherin)

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_So here I stand fighting what I feel for you_  
_Torn between what reason says and how I really feel_  
_And here I stand, wondering what to say to you_  
_Hoping that you feel the same, the same as I do  
**~*~**  
Voice On The Radio - Mariė Digby_

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**SHOOTING STARS**

Sometimes, he likes to pretend that she's his, that they're more than just friends. And for a few minutes, when her attention is focused on him, when they're partners in class, when she calls him with that smile he loves, he almost achieves it. But then she turns around and reality comes crashing down on him again. It would never work. Because she's a Black, a Pure-blood, a Slytherin, and he, he is simply a Hufflepuff Muggle-born. He has nothing to offer her, and her family would never approve. Because she's perfect, the girl everyone loves, and he could never hope to be enough.

"Ted." Her soft voice breaks the silence, and suddenly, he remembers where they are. It's almost midnight and they're here, lying in the middle of the Quidditch pitch - side to side.

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever seen a shooting star?" she asks, turning to look at him, and the only thing he can do is nod. She sighs, lying down next to him again. "I haven't." There's a pause. "Not ever."

There's silence for a few minutes, only occasionally broken by the sound of the wind or the hoot of an owl. "What would you wish for?" he asks suddenly sitting up and looking down at her. She wrinkles her nose as she thinks, and he can't help but smile at the familiar gesture.

"Aren't you supposed to keep your wish a secret so it comes true?" She whispers finally.

Ted nods. "Yeah." He sits up and takes his wand out, pointing at the sky. "Look," he says softly as she sits up next to him before a bright sparkle shoots out of the tip of his wand.

She smiles as soon as she realizes what he just did, turning to look at him, head tilted slightly. "Ted." She says his name almost uncertainly, as if she's expecting him to correct her as her eyes search his.

"Hey," he whispers back teasingly, and he's ready to say something else when she leans over and presses her lips against his. She pulls away quickly and he's too shocked to react. "What was that?" he asks in a throaty voice as he tries to concentrate, but with her so close, her eyes shining as she meets them with his, it's all he can do not to kiss her again. It's not right, he knows, and he has to repeat the sentence over and over again to stay where he is. "Your family," he continues, his voice almost pleading now as he tries to knock some sense into her. "I'm not enough." The last sentence rings with desperation as she shakes her head and leans in close again, their lips almost brushing.

"I don't care," she murmurs and that's his breaking, his hand slides to the small of her back and pulls her closer before leaning forward and capturing her lips with his. "I love you," she whispers against his lips and he sighs, deepening the kiss, because '_I love you' _has always been the best lie.


	6. Stand Too Close

**Matters of Circumstance

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Disclaimer: Do seriously you think JK would sue me if I forgot to write a disclaimer?  
(A/N: This is not beta-ed, and it's certainly not my best, but it is the best I could come up with in just a few hours =0S Stupid school…)

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**Story Info:  
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******House:** Slytherin  
**Challenge:** Six (August 16th to August 23th)  
**Character: **Penelope Clearwater (Ravenclaw)

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"_He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day.__"  
_- Ginny Weasley on Penelope and Percy

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**STAND TOO CLOSE**

He is late.  
Again.  
So I can't really be blamed for the words that come out of my mouth as he comes to a stop in front of me.

"Do you love me?" The words are slow to come, and I regret them as soon as they're out of my mouth and his face starts changing color, almost matching his hair. His hands are trembling as he reaches out to intertwine his fingers with mine.

Does he love me?  
Do I really want to know the answer to that question?  
What if he doesn't? What then?

He pulls me into one of the empty classrooms along the corridor slowly, and the glance he sends back in my direction is enough to make my heart miss a beat. I can't believe I just asked that, I just ruined everything. So what if he doesn't love me? He's not supposed to. I'm not really his girlfriend, just a girl he likes to make out with every once in a while.

And now, we're standing facing each other, my hand still held in his, the door to the classroom closed behind us.

"I do." After such a long, awkward pause I wasn't even expecting an answer. And certainly not the one I'd just gotten. He did love me. I take in a sharp breath and glance over at him, my cheeks scarlet. A smile nervously crosses my lips and I'm too stunned to say anything.

His breath is on my lips then, and I quiver a bit at the odd sensation. It's like having your first kiss all over again. Does love always make things this complicated? He's moving so slowly, I can see him just a breath away from my face, his nose is grazing mine… but our lips don't touch. And I don't dare move to speed it up. His scarlet hair is in his eyes, but that doesn't make his gaze any less intense. I can barely breathe, and then, he's kissing me – his lips pressing against mine softly.

The kiss goes on for a long period of time, and I'm lost in it. His lips are so sweet; they taste of cinnamon and apple, and – for some reason – remind me of Christmas.

"Percy!" I can't remember hearing the door open, but then again – I wouldn't have been able to notice anything outside of him and me. I still can't get over the fact that he loves me. But when I turn around and see his little sister standing there my heart skips a beat again – we're doomed.

"Ginny?" Percy looks flustered for a few seconds before he adopts a strange posture. The change is so radical and startling you would never guess it was the same person standing there. "It's after curfew, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm not the one making out in an empty classroom after curfew," Ginny replies easily before skipping out of the classroom, humming under her breath, leaving both of us staring after her like a pair of idiots.


	7. Just A Kiss

**Matters of Circumstance**

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Disclaimer: Not mine.

(A/N: So, as this is the last entry for this challenge I feel like there are some things I should say. Judges: you are awesome, all of you and I'm still amazed at how you managed to keep this competition moving and getting everyone together and coming up with the characters. Smile Life Away, my lovely beta, even if I didn't use her for this last two stories is amazing and is also a great writer, you should go check out her stuff. Pippi55, you're also great and it was really fun discussing the challenges with you. And final, but not last – hey, people, we have to get some clichés out there or they'll stop being clichés – all of you competitors – or the ones who read this, at least, because the others won't even find out I wrote this XP – you are amazing too, I had so much fun talking to you and reading your stuff . =0)

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**Story Info:**

**House:** Slytherin  
**Challenge:** Seven (August 24th to August 31st)  
**Pairing: **Lily/Remus

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**JUST A KISS**

He watches her dance. Hidden away behind the trees of the Forbidden Forest, sitting in between the branches of the bushes completely still so as not to make a sound and scare her. She thinks the entire place is empty as she gives a few twirls, stretching and kicking her legs, the dress she's wearing flying up a little. After twirling in silence she bends over and points her wand to a small CD recorder lying on the grass; it crackles to life and the music begins.

She looks beautiful when she's dancing; her whole body rocking fluidly with the rhythm of the song. The voice begins, and she moves her feet, clad in white ballet slippers. She twirls her way through the grass, sometimes letting her feet drag behind her, sometimes, giving a little jump that makes her dress flutter with the wind.

It's when the chorus starts that she surprises him. Putting a hand out into the air, the other grasping at nothing, and dances as if she had a partner. Her eyes are still closed, and she's twirling around and suddenly all he wants to do is rush over and dance with her.

And then, he can't help it. He walks toward her slowly, stealthily, taking care that his feet don't make too much sound. He stands behind her for a moment before reaching out and pulling her to him. She gasps as she places his cool hand into her small, warm one. Her eyes open and she blinks at him, eyes bright.

"I didn't know you could dance," she manages to say, almost inaudibly over the song. He doesn't answer – he can't answer – he just twirls her around- his lips twisting into a smile when she laughs and twirls back next to him. And then he kisses him, and he kisses her back. Because there's no way James could ever find out about this, and he really likes her, and she's kissing him.

Because this is just a moment time forgot, and as soon as time starts moving again he'll lose her, so he'd be damned if he doesn't make the most of it before it goes away.


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